Rescue Dawn Screens Free at the Somerville Theatre

Rescue Dawn will appear at the Somerville Theatre tomorrow, Thursday, June 28, at 7:30 pm. It's free, and it's part of the IFFBoston Screening Series.

Only Werner Herzog, the man crazy enough to drag a boat across a mountain and film it in Fitzcarraldo, would create a fictionalized version of one of his own documentaries.

But he's done it. Rescue Dawn, which will screen at the Somerville Theatre, is another look on the story of Dieter Dengler, an American who escaped a Pathet Lao camp in 1966. When Herzog did the story the first time, in Little Dieter Needs to Fly, the real Dengler was involved. This time around, Christian Bale takes over the part.

In an interview with Harper's, Herzog said he had "unfinished business" with Dengler's story, so he made Rescue Dawn, which also stars Steve Zahn and Jeremy Davies. During filming, Bale reportedly told Herzog, "I'm not going to feckin' die for you, Werner!" Herzog has the reputation of putting his actors over the edge (Exhibit A: Klaus Kinski), so Rescue Dawn is sure to pull out some over-the-top, intense performances.